National TV Primetime Impressions Up in January

National TV commercial impressions based on Nielsen’s C3 commercial ratings in primetime among adults 18 to 49 were up 1.7% in January compared to a year ago, according to an analysis by Brian Wieser of Pivotal Research Group.

On a total day basis, commercial impressions were down 7.9%, Wieser said in a report Tuesday.

Viacom had the largest share of commercial impressions, at 15.5%, up from 15.2% a year ago. Discovery’s share jumped to 6.9% from 5.9%. CBS’ share dropped to 6.3% from 7.3%.

National commercial loads rose to 10.5 minutes per hours during January, up from 10.4 minutes a year ago and 10.2 minutes two year ago.

Networks owned by 21st Century Fox, Scripps Networks Interactive and Time Warner reduced ads somewhat significantly from last year. Ad loads were up at AMC Networks, CBS, Discovery Communications, Walt Disney Co. and NBCUniversal.

Viacom’s ad loads were stable.

Total use of TV across all sources was down 4.2% on a total day basis for adults 18-49 in January. It was down 1.3% among households.

Broadcast networks were down 7.9% for adults 18-49.

Consumption via internet-connected devices, including Roku, Apple TV and Google Chromecast rose by 50% and accounted for 9.6% of total TV use among adults 18-49 on a total day basis.

(Photo via Pictures of Money's Flickr. Image taken on Sept. 17, 2015 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 9x16 aspect ratio.)

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.